


Fairytale: The Woman, the Iron Nail and The Faery Queen

by Mr_Unsmiley



Category: Faerie Folklore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:55:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23140558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mr_Unsmiley/pseuds/Mr_Unsmiley
Summary: I got asked about a fairytale that I had said inspired part of one of my other fics, so decided to post a version of the story here that I wrote. It's more so people know what fairy tale I'm talking about, as version of it are hard to find online with how many different folktales there are about the fae.It's not well-written compared to my other work, and is just something I quickly put together for fun. :)
Kudos: 4





	Fairytale: The Woman, the Iron Nail and The Faery Queen

Many centuries ago, there was a fair lady with nimble feet that could dance prettily for hours, gentle hands that could spin cloth into complex beautiful patterns, a lovely voice that would shame birds, and a loving heart that let her look kindly at all people. Eventually, she even had a newly borne son - a handsome, well-behaved and healthy child. Many looked at her blessings with envy, wishing that they had them for themselves. She was told by her husband, as he went off to fight, to always leave a silver horseshoe under their son’s cradle, to protect him from the evil fae who were well-known to steal children in the night, especially if they were beautiful. She did as he had asked, every night checking that the silver horseshoe was still there.

One night she heard a crash from her son’s cradle. As she rushed to his bed to check on him, her beautiful baby was replaced by an ugly skinny beast that screamed. Its noisy cries were like a baby’s, but louder and more piercing. Its pale skin sagged, and its eyes were filled with malice. It shrieked and shrieked and shrieked endlessly, making a fuss.

Because she was smart, the woman knew straight away that this was not her son but a changeling left by a faery to replace her child. Grabbing an iron poker from the dying fireplace, she struck the changeling on the bottom of its feet, causing it to speak and revealing its true nature. The woman asked for the location of her child and the changeling, afraid of pain, told her straight away that the queen of the fae had stolen the baby boy for herself.

The woman, distraught, left to find a priest. The priest, being wise and knowledgeable about the way of faeries, informed her that she would need to travel to the world of fae to find the queen – a twisted, beautiful, timeless place where faeries danced in endless revelries and tricked mortals for fun. It was a highly dangerous place for mortals, and one that was difficult to return from.

The mother, who loved her son more than anything, decided to go. She asked whether the silver horseshoe would protect her. The priest told her that silver horseshoes would only protect her from the Unseelie (a malicious court of fae folk who purposely hurt humans) and not the Seelie, who were more capricious - harming or helping on a whim. The priest told her that only iron could protect her, and gave her an iron nail from the church.

The priest told the woman that the quickest way to go to the faery world is by stepping into a mushroom ring and letting the fae steal her away. The iron nail would protect her from harm, and allow her to return home, so she must not lose it or give it away under any circumstance. He also warned her that though faeries are unable to lie, they are fond of tricks – she must never make a deal with a faery, in case she loses something vital.

With the knowledge and the iron nail, the woman set out to find a mushroom ring. Stepping inside one, she suddenly found herself in the court of the faery queen, a most beautiful but uncaring creature. At the queen’s side was her son, asleep in a cradle.

The woman stepped forward, interrupting the music and dancing, and loudly declared that the baby was her son, and that the queen was to return him to her. The faeries laughed cruelly, finding the mortal woman foolish and amusing. One stepped out to grab the woman, but as soon as his hand touched her skin, he was burned, his hand bursting into flames and scalding his palm. He reared back in terror, and all the faeries stopped laughing. The woman had iron with her, blessed by a church, and could not be harmed by any faery.

The woman demanded her baby once again.

The faery queen pondered before smiling, showing off sharp teeth and cold eyes.

“If you give me your nimble feet, perhaps I will return the child.”

The woman agreed immediately, forgetting the priest’s warning about refusing the deals of the fae.

Suddenly her feet felt heavy, like she was wearing iron boots. When she tried to move, she was slow and cumbersome, stomping around like a giant. She grew tired easily, and had to stop to rest.

Meanwhile, the faery queen stood and started to dance, with the most lithe and complicated of dance moves, dazzling the court with her now nimble feet. The court applauded and cheered for the queen’s new gift.

“I have given you my nimble feet. Please return my son.”

The faery queen smiled. “I only said that I would perhaps return the child. This baby is very handsome, and nimble feet are not a good enough payment. If you give your gentle hands, perhaps I will return the child.”

The mother agreed instantly.

Suddenly her hands were carelessly, and she fumbled with the iron nail, struggling to hold onto it. She slipped it into her pocket for safe keeping, as her hands were too unsteady and ungentle to hold the delicate nail. Her hands were as heavy as her feet, weighing her down further.

Meanwhile the faery queen took a needle and thread, and crafted a beautiful cloth, embroidering it with many colours and shapes, her now gentle and quick hands creating beauty with ease. The faery court were once again amazed by the queen’s new gift, cheering happily.

“I have given you my gentle hands. Please return my son.”

The faery queen smile.

“This is a wonderful blessing. However, this child is quiet and well-behaved, and gentle hands are not enough. If you give me your lovely voice, perhaps I will return the child.”

The mother accepted the deal quickly.

Suddenly her throat was hoarse, her words sounded harsh and she could not hold a note. When she tried to sing a lullaby, an ugly tune came from her mouth instead, upsetting the baby. Her voice was discordant and unpleasant to listen to.

Meanwhile the faery queen opened her mouth and the most sonorous song fell from her lips. She sang a beautiful tune that made the other fae cry and cheer. They praised the queen’s song and her new voice.

“I have given you my lovely voice. Please return my son.”

The faery queen smiled.

“Hmm, truly this is an amazing gift you have given me. But this baby is very healthy, and a lovely voice is not good enough. If you give me your kind heart, that should be payment enough, and I will perhaps return the child.”

The woman paused.

She realised that if she gave away her kind heart, she would not be able to love her son. She would treat him coldly or perhaps leave here without him. Without her kind heart, she would lose something vital and more important than nimble feet, gentle hands and a lovely voice.

Suddenly the woman realised that she had been tricked by the fae. The queen had no intention of returning her child, and in fact coveted the fair lady’s many blessings, planning to steal them from her. The woman was angry and upset.

She screamed, distracting the faeries with her ugly voice, who cringed and covered their ears at the noise. With heavy feet that were hard to move, she ran forward and grabbed her child. Her hands were rough, and she almost dropped him, until she clutched the baby tight to her chest. She turned and ran, as the faery queen shouted in anger, demanding that her court give chase.

The woman ran with heavy feet, clumsy hands and an ugly voice, to where she had entered the faery world. She was slow though and was quickly caught up to. A fae reached out to snatch the woman, but grabbed her pocket instead, the fabric tearing just as she passed over from the fae realm to the mortal one. The iron nail fell from her pocket, burning the chasing fae and stopping them in their path, giving her enough time to enter the mortal world and run to the church.

Even with heavy feet, clumsy hands and an ugly voice, the woman crossed over onto the church’s blessed soil, and into the church, which would protect her from the faeries. She and her son were safe, and even though she had lost some of her blessing and gifts, she still had the most important ones – her son and her son for him. The woman would no longer dance merrily or create beautiful cloth or sing lullabies, but her child was safe.

From that day onward, the woman would place an iron nail under her son’s bed every night, and the two lived happily ever after


End file.
